Colorado Sanctuary
Psilocybin150 acres of Front Range foothills
Ceremony hall, suspended forest tree nets, private cabins, ponds and waterways across 150 acres of pine and aspen.
Awaken together
Nonprofit, science-informed plant medicine retreats held in lifelong community. Sacred ceremony, expert facilitation, and one month of integration after every journey.
As seen on
As seen on
- TEDx
Free masterclass replay
Have a Great Trip
Watch the full recording of our October 14, 2026 masterclass with Austin Mao on preparing for a psychedelic experience. It is free to watch, and you can start whenever you are ready.
Backed by Science
Trust-building numbers before the conversation.
Studies by leading universities including Johns Hopkins, Harvard, and Imperial College London show immediate and lasting benefits to psilocybin therapy.
- 71%
- experience significant reduction in depression symptoms within four weeks
- 67%
- rate the experience among the most meaningful and spiritually significant events of their lives
- 85%
- increase in life satisfaction, feeling more connected to themselves and others
- 96%
- of Ceremonia alumni experience a life-changing transformation
Chat with Lumina
A conversation about your readiness.
A short, private chat with Lumina — our compassionate AI guide trained on hundreds of journey conversations. Together we’ll map where you are, what you’re carrying, and whether this is your moment for psilocybin-assisted ceremony.
- 90 sec
- Average completion
- 7
- Honest questions
- 100%
- Confidential
What we hear most
You're not broken. You're responding.
You're responding to a culture that pulled you away from yourself. These are the patterns we hear most often.
Surviving, not thriving
You've hit the milestones — the company, the title, the lifestyle. But the days feel like managing rather than living. Something essential is missing, and you can feel it.
Tolerating instead of inspired
The life you built used to light you up. Now you're getting through it. You want to feel the pull of inspiration again — to live from passion, not from obligation.
Surface-level, not depth
Conversations stop at "how are you / fine / great." You're surrounded by people, and still longing for the kind of authenticity and depth where you actually get seen.
From application to integration
Nine weeks. Four phases. One arc.
Preparation
Three calls that build connection. Strangers becoming family. Practicing skills that will serve you in ceremony and for a lifetime.
Retreat
A six-day retreat with three psilocybin ceremonies and daytime workshops for curiosity, compassion, courage, and connection.
Integration
A one-month integration program, included with every retreat, with an optional two-month extension (Awaken at Home): weekly calls, group circles, and coaching.
Community
A lifetime community of calls, gatherings, and offers. The work continues with the people who walked beside you.
How we work
A path you can actually follow.
Ceremony is the centerpiece, not the whole picture. The work that makes it stick happens in the weeks before and the months after. Here's the full arc.
Discovery call
A 30-minute conversation with a real human on our team. We learn what you're navigating, you learn how we work, and together we decide whether a ceremony is the right next step.
Medical & psychological screening
A clinician reviews your medications, history, and intentions. This is the gate, not a formality. About 1 in 4 applicants is referred elsewhere, that's the bar that keeps ceremony safe.
Preparation
One month of structured prep: nervous-system regulation, somatic practices, intention-setting, and a private session with your facilitator. You arrive at ceremony already in the work.
Ceremony
Three to seven days at the retreat center. Trauma-informed facilitators. Music, silence, group circle, and 1:1 support. The medicine is the catalyst; the container is the medicine.
Integration
One month of group integration after you come home. Weekly calls, a private community, and a personal integration coach. This is where the insight becomes the new life.
Lifelong community
Once you're an alum, you stay an alum. Monthly community calls, alumni-only retreats, and a peer network 400+ deep. The retreat ends; the relationship doesn't.
Two sanctuaries
Where we hold space, by design.
Both retreat centers are built for this work — chosen for stillness, equipped for ceremony, run by people who know what's needed.
Baja Sanctuary
AyahuascaPacific coast, Sea of Cortez
Ocean-facing ceremony space, beachfront cabanas, vegetarian cuisine, and intimate cohorts on the Pacific coast.
Three programs
Find your right next step.
Different doorways into the same work — pick the container that fits where you are.
Online program
Awaken at Home
Remote · 12 weeks
At-home preparation and integration with live calls and lifelong-community access. For people who can't travel — or want to start with a gentler container.
$3,997
Apply6-day Psilocybin Retreat
Awaken Retreat
Denver, Colorado · 6 days
Ceremonia's flagship in-person psilocybin retreat in the Colorado Front Range. Three ceremonies, twin facilitators, and the full integration arc.
$5,995
Apply7-day Ayahuasca Retreat
Heal Retreat
Baja, Mexico · 7 days
Seven days of ayahuasca ceremony in Baja, Mexico, held by indigenous lineage and Ceremonia's clinical container. Deeper, longer, more rigorous.
$6,997
ApplyTrust and credibility
Nonprofit
508(c)(1)(a) faith-based organization. Our mission is healing and community — not investor returns.
Accountable Practice
Our team includes licensed facilitators. Ceremonies held as religious practice under RFRA.
Science-Informed
Protocols built on peer-reviewed research and the lived experience of 400+ alumni.
The science
Psychedelic therapy is not a hope. It's a literature.
More than 200 peer-reviewed studies have been published on psilocybin therapy in the last decade. Below are three of the outcomes that shape how we work — and the journals that published them.
- 67%
- Treatment-resistant depression remission, 12-month follow-up Johns Hopkins, JAMA Psychiatry 2022
- 71%
- Sustained reduction in alcohol-use-disorder days at 32 weeks NYU Langone, JAMA Psychiatry 2022
- 2x
- Effect size of psilocybin vs. SSRIs for major depressive disorder Carhart-Harris et al., NEJM 2021
400+
Alumni
60+
Retreats
200+
Video Testimonials
5★
Reviews
Upcoming retreats
The next cohorts.
Each cohort is small by design — typically 8–14 participants. The screening conversation is the first step.
- October 25–31, 2026Heal · 7-day ayahuasca retreatBaja, MexicoFinal call · begins Oct 25
- January 12–17, 2027Awaken · psilocybin ceremony retreatColoradoNow accepting applications
- April 6–11, 2027Awaken · psilocybin ceremony retreatColoradoNow accepting applications
Founder
Austin Mao
I'm Austin — co-founder of Ceremonia, a nonprofit psychedelic retreat in Colorado. I've had the privilege of guiding over 700 people — from Fortune 500 executives to combat veterans — and speaking at TEDx, Mindvalley, MAPS Psychedelic Science, the Aspen Psychedelic Symposium, and Richard Branson's Mystic Summit on Necker Island.
My approach weaves Internal Family Systems, Circling, Somatic Experiencing, and Mindfulness — the work of remembering who you are and reconnecting with what inspires you. As host of the Modern Enlightenment podcast, I sit in conversation with leaders like Rick Doblin, Robin Carhart-Harris, and Louie Schwartzberg.
Common questions
What people ask first.
If you don't see your question here, the connection call is the right place. We'd rather answer the specific thing you're wondering than the generic version of it.
How are ceremonies held?
Our team includes licensed facilitators. Ceremonies held as religious practice under RFRA.
What is a psychedelic retreat?
A psychedelic retreat is a multi-day, facilitator-led container in which participants prepare for, undergo, and integrate a psychedelic experience, typically psilocybin or ayahuasca. The retreat structure includes screening, preparation sessions, the ceremony itself, and post-retreat integration support.
Who are Ceremonia retreats for?
Adults seeking deeper preparation, healing, or integration through ceremonial psychedelic work. Participants come for many reasons — processing grief, breaking stuck patterns, reconnecting with purpose, deepening their inner life. Serious medical or psychiatric contraindications may affect eligibility; our screening process assesses fit individually.
How safe is psychedelic therapy?
When conducted in a supervised, screened, trauma-informed setting, psilocybin therapy has a strong safety profile in clinical research. Risks rise sharply outside such settings. Ceremonia uses medical and psychological screening, on-site clinicians, and a low participant-to-facilitator ratio to keep ceremony safe.
What happens at a Ceremonia retreat?
A typical retreat runs three to seven days at our Colorado property. Days include morning movement and meditation, a 6–8 hour ceremony with live music and 1:1 facilitator support, group integration circles, somatic bodywork, and time in nature. You leave with a personalized integration plan.
How much does a Ceremonia retreat cost?
Retreat tuition ranges from $5,000 to $25,000 depending on length, accommodations, and program. Tuition includes screening, preparation, the retreat itself, one month of post-retreat integration, and lifelong alumni community access. Payment plans are available for most programs.
How do I prepare for a psychedelic retreat?
Preparation begins weeks before ceremony. We guide you through nervous-system regulation practices, intention-setting, dietary and medication adjustments, and a private 1:1 session with your facilitator. Most participants describe preparation as half the work.
How do I get started with Ceremonia?
Book a free 30-minute connection call. A member of our team will walk you through the retreat options, answer your questions, and help you assess whether ceremony is the right next step for you at this time.
Where to go next
Keep reading.
Begin
Learn
Begin
Ready to begin?
Check your readiness to see if Ceremonia fits where you are, or watch the masterclass first.